Dallas, Texas was a city of ghosts, or so they said. Some of the most famous people in history had died or hailed from this great city, and their spirits lingered in the streets, buildings, and parks.
One of the most famous ghosts of Dallas was that of John F. Kennedy. The former president was assassinated in Dallas in 1963, and ever since then, people have reported seeing his ghost wandering around Dealey Plaza, where the shooting occurred. Some have even heard his voice whispering in their ear, as if he were trying to communicate some important message.
Another famous ghost of Dallas was that of Bonnie Parker, the infamous outlaw who, along with Clyde Barrow, robbed banks and eluded the law for years. Bonnie was born and raised in Dallas, and her spirit was said to haunt the apartment building where she once lived with her mother. Some people claimed to have seen her ghost sitting on the stoop, smoking a cigarette and looking out into the night.
But not all of Dallas' ghosts were famous criminals or politicians. Some were everyday people whose lives had been cut short by tragedy. A young couple parked on the shore of White Rock Lake. When they switched their headlights on, they saw a white woman approaching them. A young girl dressed in a sheer, wet, white dress. She spoke in a faltering voice.
I‘m sorry to intrude, and I would not under any other circumstances, but I must find a way home immediately. My boat overturned. The others are safe. But I must get home.
She climbed into the rumble seat, saying that she did not wish to get the young lady wet. She gave them an address in Oak Cliff. When they asked her for directions, they turned around to find their rumble seat empty and wet. The couple went to the address she gave them. A sad man met them at the door. The man told them:
“This is a very strange thing. You are the third couple who has come to me with this story. Three weeks ago, while sailing on White Rock Lake, my daughter drowned.”
In 1953 a similar but much more detailed account of the Lady of the Lake legend was included in Dallas author Frank X. Tolbert’s book, Neiman-Marcus, Texas: The Story of the Proud Dallas Store. In this account, a beautiful blonde girl appears on the road near White Rock Lake. Mr. and Mrs. Guy Malloy, directors of display for Neiman-Marcus, spot her standing as if she had just walked up from the beach. Upon seeing the girl standing in the beams of their headlights Mrs. Malloy said:
“Stop, Guy. That girl seems in trouble. She must have fallen in the lake. Her dress is wet. Yet you can tell that it is a very fine dress. She certainly got it at the Store.”
Meaning, of course, Neiman-Marcus. The friendly girl asked them to take her to an address on Gaston Avenue in nearby Lakewood. She didn’t explain her state, and the Malloys were too polite to ask. Her long hair began to dry in the night breeze. Mrs. Malloy was now sure the girl’s dress was from Neiman-Marcus. The girl got in the back seat of the two-door sedan. When the car started, Mrs. Malloy turned to discover the girl had vanished. The only trace of her was the damp spot on the back seat. Puzzled, the Malloys went to the address she provided them. A middle-aged man met them at the door. He informed them that his blonde daughter, who wore nothing but Neiman-Marcus clothes, drowned when she fell off a pier at White Rock Lake two years before.
Another ghost that was often seen in Dallas was that of a soldier who had died in Vietnam. His spirit was said to
haunt the park where his family had scattered his ashes, and some people claimed to have seen him sitting on a bench, staring out into the distance as if he were waiting for someone.
As the years went by, more and more ghosts were said to be haunting the streets of Dallas. Some were famous people, while others were just ordinary citizens whose lives had been cut short. But despite their different backgrounds and circumstances, all of these ghosts shared one thing in common: a deep attachment to Dallas. And even in death, they continued to watch over Dallas, protecting and guiding its citizens in ways only ghosts could.
The Ghosts of Dallas on YouTube